Wessel van Rensburg

You are more likely to find me on Threads @wildebees" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">threads.net/@wildebees or Mastodon these days. @wildebees" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">mastodon.social/deck/@wildebees

Ireland magnificently slowed down South Africa’s ball at the ruck tonight. Also won the aerial contest. Overall a frustrating game to watch. Rugby must find a way to make the game flow more. And since the rules to protect head injuries we seem to have more head-clashes.

Ego is the biggest enemy of this Bok team.

@balajis @threadreaderapp unroll

By the way, one thing I should emphasize is that there are many blues that I agree with on topics like peace, privacy, civil liberties, and equality under the law. Tribal warfare does suck and I much preferred the America of the 90s. But it exists, so we need to know about it.

FIRST JPMC, THEN CBDC Whether it’s intentional or emergent, this is indeed what’s happening: a backdoor nationalization of the banking system. Blue tribe is killing gray tribe banks (SVB, FRC) and red tribe banks (regionals) to consolidate all the assets at the too-big-to-fail banks, especially JPMC. Then they roll out FedNow. Even if it’s not a CBDC, it’s central bank digital *control* with every transaction chokepointed through them. First JPMC, then CBDC.

The Great Resentment When the West Lost Its Place in Line leviathan.substack.com/p/the-great-re…

@Liftthatbid @dnystedt You can’t trust Trump to defend you on principle. Makes total sense.

@dnystedt biting the hand that feeds them

Taiwan law bans TSMC from 2nm manufacturing abroad, so it must keep its most cutting-edge technology at home, media report, citing Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo. Asked if the US could require TSMC to make 2nm in Arizona, the minster said, “Since Taiwan has related regulations to protect its own technologies, TSMC cannot produce 2-nanometer chips overseas currently.” $TSM #semiconductors #semiconductor taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archi…

@thomasforth But you are assuming energy from France - and elsewhere - will remain available. Fine until it isn’t. And other companies don’t have that luxury.

I run an AI company in the UK. I mostly do my compute in France. UK industrial energy costs wouldn't be relevant to me even if they were a bigger part of my business costs, because I'm paying French energy costs. And I could pay US costs if I wanted.

I am increasingly drifting into the opinion that this is fine. Not good, but fine. We import our energy now instead. Primary steel is imported. Compute and AI training is imported. Fertilizer and food is imported. And we add value at the high end where energy cost doesn't matter.

@AaronBastani His comment on Iran — and Trump being the WW3 candidate isn’t a bad one.

Kind of wild: 2016 Trump actual fascist guy, Richard Spencer, says he’s voting for Kamala Harris. Why? Because she’s a better ‘manager of American empire’. This doesn’t appear to be a troll!

@adam_tooze This is not adjusted for spending power, however.

The cost of 1 GB of mobile data worldwide is featured in today's Chartbook Top Links. The U.S. is at the top of the list with only one country (Switzerland) charging more. Sign up for more here: tinyurl.com/2pjyxa4a.

@Cowb11Saltwater @TheKavernacle Suggest you don’t comment on things you clearly know little about. Read up on the topic instead.

@TheKavernacle 1/ Last time I checked Northern Ireland is still a part of the UK and the IRA, to a large extent, no longer exists. By your argument we should see more kids in the IRA. Not only do we not see that but more Irish Catholics are more likely than ever to consider themselves British

I went to Belfast last year and did a tour with a former IRA insurgent. He said when he was 14, British soldiers shot up his apartment bloc killing someone he knew. He joined the IRA's youth wing after that, then joined the IRA when he was 18. He was vague but said

@Consultifi I know the guy behind it well.

Many things on X continue to give me great pleasure and this account is high on my list.

@meadwaj @macrodosepod @michaelxpettis You do mention it towards the end, but only after squarely putting it in the category of falling into a middle-income trap. Is there a difference between a government that wants to develop along that path and can't and one that does not try it?

@wildebees @macrodosepod @michaelxpettis It’s a bit of both - it’s not possible to switch an economy from one setting to another overnight, not least because of its relationships to the rest of the world. But China’s government has also deliberately chosen to suppress domestic demand, which I do mention.

New @macrodosepod! This week, China economic stimulus, and just how much money is actually needed to turn Britain’s public services around? Plus! Details of our next live event… Listen here, or wherever you get your podcasts: patreon.com/posts/11361630…

@meadwaj @macrodosepod @michaelxpettis I see you make your podcast available on all platforms but only post messages on X? You can use Buffer's free tier to post to X, Bluesky and Mastodon; then I don't have to support this platform to reply to you. 2/2

@meadwaj @macrodosepod Regular listener. Like the show but I am surprised that you failed to mention the view of @michaelxpettis (as set out in Trade Wars are Classwars) and here on X, that China's financial repression and importing of demand is a political choice (and not due to a trap). 1/2

@BertuzLuca @mlexclusive And what are the long-term implications for #NetNeutrality?

France is revisiting obliging tech companies to engage in infrastructure cost-sharing talks with telecom operators with a mandatory arbitration mechanism. The focus is no longer on large traffic generators but on very large online platforms. @mlexclusive content.mlex.com/#/content/1601…

@Jamesonrugby Thanks for the informative thread

@dalbertus2107 @Oom_Rugby Can’t mention James and Honnibal in the same sentence. Totally different type of players. Honnibal much more like Libbok (kicked better but not as crisp a pass).

@Oom_Rugby In this country we praise a player like Butch James and Henry Honniball and then we hate on Manie Libbok. I don't mean anything bad by mention Die Lem and Butch. Both excellent players who I loved watching.

Boks been waiting for Manie their whole life ❤️

@Oom_Rugby He’s the best passer of the ball I’ve seen. Better than Willie Le Roux, (get’s more distance and he is more accurate.)

@meadwaj Well that sounds like a good thing. But they are terrible at marketing and communications. Something they can take a few lessons at from New Labour.

Ppl underestimate how distinctive this Lab govt is starting to look: big capital spend, some worker rights & industrial policy whilst cutting social spend is break with previous Lab govts, including New Labour. Predicted they’d end up here back in March: novaramedia.com/2024/03/27/lab…

@ggreenwald @SystemUpdate_ @evanwch Exactly what was doxxed? Seems like an obvious red herring.

Tonight on @SystemUpdate_, live at 7pm ET: Journalist Ken Klippenstein is suspended from X after publication of the "Vance Dossier," based on claims of doxxing. Plus: Long-time DNC operative and fund-raiser @evanwch on why she just left her Party: rumble.com/v5gh51p-system…

@Manie_Pot @rugby_ap Rohan was later. And is still younger than any of our current main contenders for 12.

@rugby_ap He is not entirely wrong. Heyneke did miss some players due to his obsession with size. CJ Stander Jaco Kriel Rohan janse van Rensburg to name some.

Such a completely mental take given Heyneke debuted: Malherbe (24) Eben (21) Lood (20) Siya (21) PSDT (21) Pollard (20) DDA (22) Kriel (22) Willie (23) Of these guys probably 6 will retire as Test centurions. 1 will retire as the most capped Springbok ever. Each won two RWCs